This blog is dedicated to all the gorditos, chubbies, huskies, bears, afrentados and foodies that love to eat delicious food and can't wait to hear where they should go next to get their grub on! I'm going to give you the 411 on all the places I love to frequent and all the places I seek out, like the culinary explorer that I am. I'm going to be real and tell what I feel and think. Bring on the comments and most importantly bring on the FOOD!

Wednesday, July 20, 2016

A Spoonful of Sofrito: Cuban Sandwiches/Cubanitos

A Spoonful of Sofrito: A Pinch of advice that will add a lot of flavor to your life.

Cuban Sandwiches/Cubanitos!

Sofrito Lovers,

When I was a kid my father would take to the "Flor de Broadway" bakery/coffee shop/sandwich place on W. 139th St. and Broadway so we could enjoy their delicious Cuban treats.

My father would order Cuban style espressos with a Croqueta de jamon (Ham croquette) and he would treat me either to a lemonade with a croqueta or a delicious Cubanito sandwich. For the unenlightened, a Cubanito sandwich is an amazing work of sandwich art, that combines roasted pork, ham, Swiss cheese, and pickles with either butter, mojo, mustard or mayo. It's made with pan de agua o de manteca (Water or Butter bread) and pressed flat on a sandwich press; these days people are using panini presses, which I don't like. These sandwiches can be found in almost any Caribbean Latino neighborhood with a myriad of variations.

Being a self proclaimed Cubanito conosuir, I've traveled throughout our fair city tasting Cubanitos anywhere I could find them. I've loved and despised many, but the best are made at home!

The article posted below, from Serious Eats, features a great recipe for a Cubanito, which I plan on making this weekend! I'll let you know how it turns out! But, don't wait for my post to see how it turns out! Make your own! Read it, make it, and taste for yourself. ¡Buen Provecho!

Cuban Sandwiches Recipe

When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade. When Past You gives Present You leftover Cuban roast pork, first you drink a toast to Past You for the generosity and forethought (a mojito is both thematically and gustatorily appropriate), then you pay it forward by making a Cubano sandwich for Future You.

Why was I smiling?

Who is Ben The Pen Ramos?

I'm a cute, husky, Boricua lover of food and liberation. I educate, organize and moblize for various revolutionary causes in between having meals at, what I think are, some of the best restaurants, cafes, bars, cuchifritos, chimichurri trucks, and taquerias in the city.
I have never studied culinary arts/sciences; I am not a professional critic, nor do I have one of those super sensitive palettes that can divine every ingredient and spice in a meal.
My only qualification is that I am a fat ass that loves to eat food and share his opinion.
I watch alot of cooking shows on PBS, have watched every episode of Top Chef on the Bravo Channel and walk around the city aimlessly until I spot a restaurant that looks good!
I cannot cook to save my life, but I can eat with the best of them! Enjoy my blog!

Sofrito In My Soul

Sofrito in my soul, because I was lucky enough to be raised on delicious home made Puerto Rican criolla (typical food).

I learned to love food in my Mami's cocina (kitchen). I learned to appreciate the sacred, mystical, and transformative art of cooking and, most importantly, reveled in the epic journey that is eating and tasting!

Sofrito was the building block of every meal Mami masterfully crafted in her Five star Kitchen. Sofrito is a fragrant sauce and wet seasoning comprised of onions, garlic, pepper (either small sweet red peppers or green bell peppers), oregano, cumin, bay leaf, oil, and culantro puréed together in a blender.

A blend of African, Taino and Spanish culture all in one delicious green potion that provides the incredible explosion of flavor in every bite of Puerto Rican food. Whether it is used to marinade proteins, added to soup or stew stocks, or to flavor a caldero (pot) of beans, Sofrito is that little bit of Puerto Rican pride we add to all of our dishes.Sofrito in my soul, because through food, I travel the world, but despite however far I go, I always come back to my Mami's kitchen in Harlem; our little piece of Puerto Rico on W139th Street!